A Tale of Heat, Snow and Frost
by 100-YardStare
Summary: Jack Frost wants to create the perfect winter, though his plans come to halt when he visits South City, a place cursed with heat. His confidence dwindles, though returns when he meets Elisa, whose wish for a white Christmas brings him to seek out what is preventing snowfall. Jack will do anything to make her wish come true, even if it means going against North's warnings.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and thank you for clicking on my story!**

**Although this is a ****_Rise of the Guardians_**** story at its core I have taken some elements from some Rankin/Bass Christmas tales. You will find many references to stories like ****_A Year Without a Santa Claus _****and likewise (but not quite as extensively) the 1979 special ****_Jack Frost_****. I've done to the best of my ability to combine these stories and place them into the ****_Rise of the Guardians_**** universe. **

**I hope you enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated and valued.**

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Chapter 1

There's No Winter In South City

Christmas came earlier every year. Once the Halloween decorations went down, the lights and wreaths went up. There was so much snickering about thisdisplay of holiday cheer so early, you would have assumed people were doing it out of jealousy of the winter season. Maybe it was true that the colors of amber and crimson leaves were not pondered on long enough, and that their fallen state was just as temporary as those who gaze down to gladly acknowledge the harvest. Even in the heart of autumn itself, Thanksgiving, was almost completely vanquished from the minds of folks. Surely if there were a Turkey guardian he'd be gone years ago; there simply wasn't room in the minds of humanity for such things anymore. Sad yes, but at the same time this attention brought over to the birth of winter gave meaning to others; other guardians whose purpose was to bring joy, wonder and a little bit of fun to humanity.

Burgess had already received its first flurry days ago. Like the start of the earlier holiday season, winter seemed to be creeping up on the world alongside it. Those white Christmas wishes many of the children so longed for were just as evident as the rising sun, and when you get kid season mixed with snowfall it's like a dream come true. The adults on the other hand, could care less for it. Snow storms meant car problems, harder commutes and shoveling snow off the drive way. Though despite that the snow hadn't even started sticking to the ground yet, parents were already complaining.

"Hey Jamie!" A woman's voice called from the window of the kitchen. Immediately heat began to fly out the window once the barrier concealing the outside was parted, and with it the smell of roasting chicken engulfed the small front yard, "Jamie, can you salt the driveway, please? I've got my hands full and we're supposed to be receiving another small snowstorm soon."

"Aw, come on!" Jamie was a good kid, don't be too quick to judge, but if there was one thing he disliked the most it was preventing snow from falling the way it should. Ever since that Easter Sunday two years ago, Jamie had been keeping his eyes glued on the skies every approaching winter. He wanted to spot the winter guardian again; he wanted to see Jack Frost. "Mom, please, can I just wait and do it tomorrow? I hear it's not as effective to salt before it freezes anyway."

"Jamie, listen to me and do as I say please." His mother was relentless, "If you start now you can get it done before dinner is ready."

Jamie lightly rolled his eyes, and if anything responded then just to satisfy his mom, "Fine." He said bluntly.

The little ten year old heaved out of defiance, allowing his breath to escape him like a chimney huffing smoke and started towards the garage. The sound of icy grass crunching beneath his feet seemed loud in his rather desolate front yard, only giving into the more powerful cold gusts and breezes that thought to sway in at random moments. All the while his brown eyes continued to shift from his path to the garage and to the skies, ever watchful to see if his dear friend would return. "You said you would come back." Jamie huffed again as his tiny lips formed into a pout, with his newly saddened expression bringing his brows together in a disappointed furrow. Jack had said he would always be with him, and that much was already obvious from the oncoming winter air. Was he too busy for him now to not actually be present here? Maybe he was just taking his time; surely it was difficult adding the right amount of snowflakes in certain places. It had to be an art, this snow and frost making, after all.

"Think fast!" A chuckle followed the chilly air, but even with the prior warning Jamie wasn't prepared for the adequately pact snowball that suddenly hit him on the right side of his face. With the cold puff of snow catching him off guard the boy was tossed to the side, landing on the crunchy grass with a plop as his hands quickly dived onto his cheek to shave off what snow powder was left on him.

"Jack!" The boys narrowed eyes quickly brightened once his line of vision was cleared, seeing the mysterious white haired boy balancing atop of his fence like it was as easy as placing an ornament on a tree.

"Did you miss me?" Jack chimed.

"Are you kidding?!" Jamie gasped as he sat up with excitement, at the moment not even thinking to gather up a snow ball of his own to get back at the winter guardian. "It's felt like forever! How's the gang?"

"Oh, you mean The Grumpy Easter Kangaroo and his pals of hard working chumps? Heh, they're cool, since I've been around at least." He smirked at his own childish insult to Bunnymund and his following pun, "But I really missed this. It's been starting to get more difficult waiting until winter to bring you guys snow, and now that I think of it, not enough time until Spring comes around. You think Bunny would get mad at me if I threw in another snowstorm after the New Year?"

"It's never not the wrong time for snow." Jamie chuckled, "It could be the middle of summer and I'd be happy with spending a day building snowmen."

"Ha, if only it were that straightforward." Jack jumped from the fence and landed on the ground, walking over toward Jamie who had been standing there like a statue ever since he came into the picture.

"What do you mean?" Jamie's eyes widened a little when Jack told him the bad news, "You're Jack Frost! You can make it snow anytime, anywhere!"

"I'm not one for rules, but summer is supposed to be hot, not cold. I've thought about it before, but... I haven't given it much of a try. I usually stick to the northern hemisphere around that time; mostly just hanging out with North at the pole."

"So you just make it snow extra good when winter comes?" Jamie smiled lightly, "Gotta make up for it."

Jack paused a moment. He had been hanging out in Burgess and the northern hemisphere for so long that it just now dawned on him that he hadn't been paying much attention to the cities toward the south. It wasn't that he didn't care, but he always had such a friendly familiarity where he was that he didn't consider going anywhere else. As a guardian he was supposed to bring snowballs and fun times. "Yeah, I'll make it snow extra good this winter." Jack cooed to himself as he twirled his staff, "What poor unfortunate souls have the least amount of snowfall without me?"

"Well, Hawaii I guess or other beach places..." Jamie suggested, "But I don't think they're the ones to give snow."

"What do you mean, everyone needs snow!" Jack looked surprised for a moment, "Is it because they like making sandcastles over snow angels? Please, what loser does that?"

"South City." Jamie added then, "I had a friend from first grade move to South City. Maybe you could pay them a visit? I hear they rarely get snow, if not at all."

"Where is that?" Jack paced towards the garage a tad, pondering over the small cracks in the brick.

"The south, duh." Jamie giggled again, "But if you want me to be more accurate that place is in Texas. But I'm sure you can get there okay."

"I don't know, that's a long trip. Pennsylvania all the way down to Texas is a pretty long way. Do you know how many miles that is?"

"Don't play like that with me, you told me you can get from Russia and back in only a few minutes."

"Yeah, you're right, I did say that didn't I?" Jack turned around to look at Jamie, walking over to his side and then gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "Okay, let me drop you a little snowstorm before I leave, and then you keep your eyes on the news. I'm going to blast the south with so much snow that you'd think they were in the North Pole."

"That'll be awesome! All the world will know that Jack Frost is the ultimate fun maker, just you wait and see!" Jamie jumped a little out of sheer happiness for his friend, clasping his hands together tightly as he thought of all the attention Jack would receive once those who hadn't seen snow in years suddenly looked up and saw the guardian of winter himself had paid them a visit. "They'll have to believe. Soon you'll be known all over!"

"Little steps at a time, kid." Jack attempted to respond seriously, but he manage to break a smile anyway, "Hasn't your mom told you not to get your hopes up to high or you'll be disappointed?"

"What are you talking about, my hopes are always up!" Jamie jumped again.

"Ha, good then!" Jack said, this time followed by letting loose a heavy laugh, "Okay, watch this." Jack lifted his staff over his head, this in itself causing the wind to pick up and clusters of clouds to form above. Once he was satisfied with the quality and quantity of the clouds, his staff came tumbling back down, and upon hitting the already icy grasses, through his staff Jack unleashed a wave of frost that began to scatter over the grasses and flow onto the rooftops around them. Only moments later did flurries began to fall from the sky, quickly beginning to blanket the cold ground with white.

"This is so awesome!" Jamie yelled this time as his hands opened wide to embrace the falling white dots, "This is going to be the best winter ever!"

"Or the coolest winter ever." Jack smirked again.

Jamie laughed and started running around the yard. His feet started picking up snow quickly, and with it building onto the ground with every minute Jamie's legs began to kick it in the air, causing the yard to become kissed with a very faint mist of ice.

"Jamie, is it snowing already?" His mother called through the window again, "And have you even started doing what I asked?"

Jamie stopped in his tracks, cringing his teeth together as he listened to his mother's voice grow irritated, "Uh, sorry mom..." Jamie looked up at Jack, whose expression seemed to mirror his own at this point, "I'll do it right now."

"Good luck with that." Jack patted his back sympathetically, yet with a twinge of teasing in his voice, "While you do all this boring stuff I'm going to head to... what was it, South City? Yeah that place."

Before Jack could even begin to move away, Jamie's little arms wrapped tightly around Jack's waist, "I'm going to miss you." Jamie huffed again.

"Hey, I won't be gone long. I'll just give those guys a big enough blast so that the snow will stay with them until after the holidays. I'm sure North would appreciate the extra help spreading Christmas cheer."

Jamie wouldn't let go just yet. The little boy was still keen on keeping his embrace around the winter guardian until he felt it was his time to let go. It wasn't really fair, honestly. Jack was so busy, especially this time of year, that he rarely saw him. At least didn't see him as enough as he wanted. The boy waited all year for winter to come, and now finally that he was able to see Jack, he already had to leave. But Jamie knew better. All the world needed a little bit of fun, not just him. "See you soon, then." Jamie finally let go, stepping back enough to give Jack the room he needed to take off.

"Soon, Jamie. And keep an eye on the news, I plan on making a scene." Jack smiled once more before the winter wind suddenly picked him up, causing Jack to fly high into the sky and disappear into the clouds.

. . . . . . . .

"Why didn't I do this sooner?" Jack mused to himself. The wind continued to carry him through the skies, leaving behind the familiarity of Burgess and off to distant, unattended lands. The fresh crisp air that Jack left in Burgess continued to follow him as he went, traveling around him like a cloud that then dropped to the passing towns below as he flew by.

It felt good, really good. There was really no perfect explanation to express the feeling Jack got when he pondered over his handy work. It was a new season, the beginning of winter, his time to shine, his spotlight! Not only that but it was also the dawn of his new start, the start of a guardian. Only two years ago Jack was a nobody, a lost cause. He traveled aimlessly, desperately seeking meaning in his existence, yet now that was all changed. He had children who actually believed him. Little eyes that hopefully looked skyward for his return, and that audience of adoring believers was steadily growing, especially around those who often spoke to Jamie. It gave Jack hope. If he was able to get this far, who knows what other sorts of feats he could do. Jack imagined what it would be like now that he was stretching his boundaries. This South City that Jamie talked about, that lacked snow must have been dreadful. A city deprived of snow and fun would certainly need a change in weather, and perhaps even when it did happen he would be believed in. Wouldn't it be a surprise! Those folk waking up one morning to find that they would have a white Christmas, and not a bland boring brown one.

The passing wind around him suddenly grew warm. His small cloud that he had been hanging onto from the beginning slowly began to dissipate into the steamy air around him, and with a sudden heave the air gave in and all that was left of his lingering winter air vanished.

Jack was surprised, but not worried.

"Obviously these people need help." Jack muttered to himself as he turned his staff, commanding the wind to slow down. Immediately he could see it; South City was not as quaint as a place like Burgess but more rather large and busy. Jack's eyes quickly fell on a toll way below, whose evening commute was bundled up like a bunch of little children in bumper cars that had no idea what they were doing. Among the busy traffic the tall skyscrapers and buildings seemed to reflect the setting sun, making them look like towering bars of gold glass. Just the appearance however, wasn't what was getting to him though.

"Ugh, it has to be at least eighty degrees here, what's going on? I thought summer ended months ago!" Jack steered his staff again, creating a wave in the air that took him around the city to get a better look. The city was big though. Where was he to begin? Perhaps a snow cloud right in the center would do well, or better yet, maybe a wave from the north would suffice. Either way, he was going to give this place all he had, he just wanted to do it right.

Jack planned his actions this time rather diligently. The wind picked up and encircled him around the city, all the while his staff at a glow as he placed a halo front of cold air to contain the rest of the snowfall he was about to produce. It wasn't until about two rounds of his circling did he become satisfied with his barrier, but soon after he would focus on the center of the city. Raising his staff once again, Jack began to form a snow cloud. He could already feel the cold air he had created begin to collide with the heat, causing an uproar of gusts that blew whispers and whistles down and across the tall buildings. His little snow cloud was starting to grow, and as it did it spread over the city, shading out the golden light from the sun and replacing it with a calming violet hue. "I hope you guys keep your coats nearby." Jack stated as he glanced down at South City, who by all means was probably not prepared for what was coming to them.

Then, once the snow cloud had stretched as far as the eye could see and its grey wings had finally overtaken the skies at its fullest, did Jack let go. He watched as the cloud began to pour snowflakes, each piece of frozen liquid a perfectly constructed work of art. They danced around in the cold upper air for a moment before they glided downward, giving Jack a sense of accomplishment as a parent might sigh upon seeing their child walk across a stage on graduation. However, this fulfillment didn't last long.

As the snowflakes fell, they grew heavier. It was upon noticing their sudden increase in fall rate that Jack saw what was happening. They were melting.

"What?!" Jack gasped as his blue optics seized with his sudden exclamation, "Rain?!"

Jack dived down, swinging his staff around to desperately attempt to change these raindrops back into snowflakes. This however, was rather useless. At his panicked attempts to fluff up the raindrops they instead turned into sleet, and some unfortunately didn't even quite make it that far. To Jack, it was chaos. Despite his efforts to refreeze the snow, even the sleet didn't make it all the way down before it regretfully transformed into freezing rain.

"No! This is wrong! I must have messed up." Jack fussed as he continued to follow the plummeting raindrops. Jack landed on the ground quickly, stumbling only for a moment as he again refocused on his attempts to make it snow for these people. Passing cars on the busy roads caused him some mild disorientation, as their bright headlights reflected off the rain and into the darkened twilight. Some of the sleet that managed to make it all the way down quickly melted upon impact with the ground. "It's just not cold enough!" Jack spewed, flailing his arm upward and slamming his staff onto the ground. This caused a wave of frost to travel the streets, catching some of the sleet and creating a layer cold and slick enough on the ground to keep the pieces of sleet drops noticeable for a time.

SCREECH! The sound of wheels struggling to stay latched on the road failed, twisting a car sideways and causing it to hit another vehicle in the lane directly beside it. A domino effect suddenly took place, and one after another cars rammed into each other, and then after a few moments of slamming metal and exaggerated horns, silence overtook the little street, replacing the outbreak of destruction with the soft pat of rain as it hit the chilled ground. A few moments after this standstill people began getting out of their vehicles, some starting to cry while other decided to choose the light or dark side by either helping or yelling at each other.

Jack was dumbfounded. Not only did he fail miserably at doing the one thing he was made to do, but he caused a huge wreck on top of it. His mouth dropped as he stared, and after a few seconds his gaze slipped from the cluster of packed cars on the road in front of him and to the skies above. Rain continued to plummet and smack the ground, but a chilly air remained.

"Why won't it snow?" Jack said aloud to himself as his wide eyes narrowed to a glare. "That trick works literally everywhere else I've been, why won't it work here!? It's like this place is cursed or something!" Jack kicked at the ground, causing some of the water to fly upward and then splash back down. His pale hands tensed irritably around his staff as his free hand bundled into a first. He had to control himself from shaking. Closing his eyes he tried to think of what he might have done wrong. Going over the situation again and again in his head made no sense. By all means these people should have been buried in snow right now! Instead the streets began to lightly flood with cold water, only staying free from being submerged with the help of the gutters that took what was supposed to be his snow into the bowels of the city drains.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Jack had tried everything he could possibly imagine. Every trick, every plan and every concoction he had ever mixed simply would not bring snow to this winter forsaken place called South City. Clouds he managed to accumulate above the towering pillars of glass and iron simply continued to spew melting snowflakes as they made their way down to earth, and even attempting to send cold fronts with the help of the lingering winter air from the north didn't even make it to the borders of South City before it immediately was slapped aside and made a waste. Watching his snowflakes, adorned in such a pale and elegant structure, become nothing but water to help rush out grime on the streets, gave Jack the worst feeling he had felt since he wasn't believed in. It was like the air around mocked him and the people, although unknowingly, pushed him away. These people, who were so used to warm weather and rainy days instead of snow days, hated what little ice they saw. The frost that managed to blanket the ground was scolded upon, causing wrecks to and fro as if these people had absolutely no clue what it was. Ice that sat on windows and rooftops were completely ignored, and when it did melt after a few minutes people treated it as if it were never there.

As if it never existed.

Jack felt his stomach turn and his heart begin to ache. Looking down on the city, whose once tranquil twilight glow having turned to muggy darkness brought him back to the moment he woke up to live forever. Rising from the lake of ice and returning to his town so many, many years ago, was happening all over again. Nobody knew him, nobody recognized what he was doing... it was a disaster. Worst of all, these people hated what he had done. The constant nagging and complaining from people noticing what little bits of ice lingered on the road might as well be compared to a parent looking at a picture their child drew for them and being scolded for it. How could these people have so much hatred for something that was supposed to be fun? Haven't they ever played in snow before? Of course they'd have to see the potential in this!

"It must not be enough..." Jack mumbled to himself. He motioned the staff in his hand to bring him downward and towards the northwestern portion of the city. The tall buildings distanced themselves as Jack flew, replacing it with more houses and suburbs. Again, he saw the same thing. Traffic, complaining and everything in between. It was like these people were children! No, that wasn't the best word to describe it. Children relished in the cold. Jack had seen it and he knew it. The cold meant hot chocolate and warm winter coats. The cold meant the smell of a fresh evergreen filing the house and a warm fire at the fire place. The cold meant Christmas morning and New Year's fireworks and days off from school and happiness!

But even with this realization, Jack couldn't help but think that this was his fault.

"I have to try harder." His blue optics narrowed as he landed on a driveway at the corner of a main road. He watched a few cars headlights fill the street briefly as they passed, highlighting a green sign next to him that labeled the road "Big Branch", then flicker away as the vehicles vanished around the corner. He watched as the icicles hanging from the large pine tree next to him started to drip, adding to the already wet ground beneath his feet. "This is a disaster..." He added, letting lose a sigh, "Jamie was right. These people have never seen a real snow storm, and if they have it was a long time ago. If that's even possible. Something isn't right here. Why don't my powers work in this place?"

As he stopped talking to retreat back into a series of pondering over what he could do, another car started down the road and towards him. Unlike the others that simply zoomed by, this one slowed down, and turned at the corner he was on. The car didn't drive ahead much longer, and with an immediate second turn it drove up onto the driveway he had been staring at. The water that once had been a part of the ice dangling from the large pine tree smacked and splattered under the black tires of the silver car, and as soon as it stopped the headlights shut off along with the car's engine. Jack stared absently at the large machine, listening to the doors unlock and then pop open.

"Oh my gosh!" A girl's voice spoke excitedly from behind the door. One of her feet stepped onto the ground, and then the next, her white sneakers splatting on the soaked concrete as she swung the door open. Immediately the chilled wind picked up her long hair, sending it swirling around her smiling face as she looked around her yard. Her rather summer looking attire seemed to mismatch what Jack had been going for, but like everyone else in the city she must have been caught in the attempted early winter surprise. The difference with her though and everyone else, was the smile on her face. Even with her fair skin covered in chill bumps and a cold breeze continuously blowing over her did she refuse to show a single sign of hatred. "Ahh!" Her giddy cry seemed to pierce into the muggy evening like a needle, "The first cold front of the season... I wonder if this is the year- NO! I mean, YES! I mean... oh geez. I can't get my hopes up. Nope, I just can't."

Quickly the young woman shut the door behind her and went around the back of the car to open the trunk. Her hands grabbed hold of a few bags of groceries and then with her elbow she struggled to shut the trunk again. After she managed to get everything closed, she started for the door, only to be met with the same problem when she tried to send the bags up her arm a little to free her hand in order to grab the keys in her purse.

Jack was a little surprised but something about this girl, this one person who showed signs of enjoying what he tried to do, brought him back a little. Instead of continuously driving himself insane about what he had done wrong, for a brief moment he stopped to watch her. Although annoyed by the fact that the door was locked on her, he found it comical as she stuck the key in the lock, and huffed a little as she began to show impatience from the obvious difficulty it was trying to get the thing to open while holding a bundle of groceries. Once the door unlocked and her hand reached to open the door, did he finally sit up.

"Oh hey, need a little help there?" Jack mused aloud, although he knew good and well she didn't see him, "Let me get that for ya."

His hand waved gently, sending a cool gust of winter air in her direction. The door she had managed to open slightly then, with the help of the gust, opened wide for her. She seemed to ignore the chill that came with it, which again differed from the constant "brrs" and "ughhhhs" that came with what he did.

"Elisa, is that you?" The sound of an older woman's voice called from the inside of the house, "Did you get the groceries?"

"Yeah," the girl responded with a little bit of a sigh, "I'm glad I didn't hit traffic though for this."

"Hey now, I needed some stuff for Thanksgiving dinner. Now come in here, let me see you."

"Okay..." Elisa sighed again and started for the kitchen, but not before lifting her leg up to try and kick the door shut.

"Whoa there, I got that!" Jack, without giving an instant, flew through the doorway and sent another gust of air at the door, this time shutting it for her. Elisa eyed the door for a moment but shrugged off the weird occurrence, and began back into the kitchen. Once the doors fully shut the smell of cornbread engulfed the house. Jack took a good deep breath as he looked around, all the while following Elisa into the kitchen. The fun thing about being invisible was that you could come in wherever you wanted.

"Hey, nice place." Jack mused aloud, but his sentence was buried once the mother started talking to Elisa again.

"Did you get the butter?" Elisa's mother continued.

"Yes."

"And the brussell sprouts?"

"Ugh, yes..." Elisa seemed to grimace at that next item, "I hope you're not going to make an entire pot of that again."

"Well, your brother and father like brussell sprouts so I always add them on the menu for Thanksgiving dinner."

"Why can't they eat normal vegetables like broccoli or green beans?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask them?"

Elisa huffed once more after placing the grocery bags down and then took a seat on one of the chairs next to the kitchen table. From all the irritated huffs and puffs after hearing the bad news about another batch of brussell sprouts for dinner, Elisa's mother eyed her daughter and broke the silence with another question, "So what did you do today? How were your classes?"

"Classes are fine..." Elisa started as she looked at her nails briefly, "Tomorrow is our last day before the college gets out for Thanksgiving. I really wish we got the entire week off though."

"At least you get off four weeks for Christmas." Her mother added.

"Yeah, that's true." Elisa responded, though her eyes widened briefly as if she remembered something, "Oh! I wrote another poem today. I was bored in between classes, and since Christmas is just around the corner this one just sort of came to me."

"Oh really?" Her mother started picking up the bags and removed the contents to distribute though the kitchen, "Why don't you read it to me?"

"Well, you need to sit down first." Elisa let lose a grin the instant her mom suggested she read it aloud, "I can't read it if you're not paying attention."

"I'm listening." Her mom proceeded to finish placing items in the fridge at that point then turned around and sat across the table from Elisa. The woman's eyes intently focused on her daughter, watching as she reached into her purse to pull out a little colorful notepad, not even quite larger than her own hand.

Elisa quickly then started turning the pages of her notebook. Eyeing each page intently the silence in the kitchen seemed to lag on a bit longer than expected, but from this quiet preparation Jack managed to find a comfy seat beside Elisa, to look onto the pages of the notebook itself to read along with her.

"Well come on, don't be shy." Jack said aloud again, placing a hand on his chin as his elbow leaned against the table. Even without receiving proper feedback from his statement Elisa seemed to start reading aloud just on cue.

_"My love where have you gone?_

_You left my Christmas bland and brown._

_I hear that you've gone up north_

_To visit a girl in another town._

_These early fall chills aren't enough_

_I want to see rain turn to ice!_

_I want to see my breath like dragons smoke,_

_Or even a degree below forty would be nice._

_Yet you leave me standing here_

_Waiting for some odd miracle;_

_I've found that you my dear_

_Are just a tad bit cynical._

_You make promises you cannot keep_

_And make many mischievous lies,_

_You cast great snowstorms for the news_

_Yet as you do you're breaking ties._

_Oh Winter, Jack Frost, I'll always want you_

_Yet I suppose it's just not my turn._

_You'll see those northern girls are lame_

_And realize I'm the one you yearn."_

Jack hadn't realized his eyes had moved from the page and to the young woman's face. Throughout the entire piece he had taken pleasure in knowing that someone here, this one person, adored all he did. But once she mentioned his name, taking this personification of winter and attributing it to him, pointing him out as an individual, someone who was real, made his heart flutter. It also didn't hurt that she added that flattering spin at the end.

"Hey, now..." Jack started as he lifted his head from his hand, not being able to hold back a smirk that began to ever so steadily ease its way across his lips, "I just met you, and this is crazy but-"

Jack paused once he heard sniffles from across the table. Elisa's mother had a very light layer of tears in her eyes. Apparently Elisa heard this at the same time as Jack, because both of their heads popped up to look over at her.

"Hey, Mom, why are you crying?" Elisa asked as her cheeks flustered red, her intimate moment with her poem having been broken upon the realization that her mom was crying, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Sweetie." Her mom stroked her left eye with her palm, "It's just... I'm so proud of you."

"Aw, Mom it's just a poem." Elisa sat up and placed her notebook on the table to tend to her mother.

"It's not just a poem to me." She sniffled lightly again; her brown eyes seemed to glisten lightly under the kitchen light, "You create such beautiful words out of nothing. I was never able to do that."

"Please stop crying, you're going to make me cry too!" Elisa's eyes mirrored her mother's exactly as a smile drifted over her face to try and stop this oncoming wave of feels. "Just, I don't know, go back to putting up groceries or something. I'm going back out to lock my car."

"Fine." Her mother sniffled again but this time seemingly as an attempt to suck back in her tears, "When you come back in you're helping me with the brussell sprouts though."

"Aw, come on!" Elisa laughed a little when she said this, "Whatever."

Quickly Elisa grabbed the keys to her car and started back down the hall and towards the door. Jack was quick to perk up then and follow, making his way right behind Elisa as to slip out the door when she did. "Hey there, wait up!" He said, again ignoring the fact that she couldn't see him.

Although it wasn't as cold in comparison to what Jack was aiming for the outside air flew in with a gentle wave, again taking up Elisa's brown hair in a dance at her back. The girl didn't go too far, but once she was around the corner to the house she pressed the button to her keys, making the car acknowledge her action to lock it with a couple of blinking lights. Even then, however, after the thing she came out do had been easily finished, she stopped to stare up at the cloudy sky. The moon, in certain moments as the clouds parted enough to see it, shined its rays down upon the little house behind her. A look of longing filled her gaze as she stood still, the lingering glisten in her brown eyes almost acting as hands reaching skyward. "Please, please..." She prayed aloud but very meekly, "If there is any year I want it more, it's this one. I've never seen snow in all my life. If I can wake up, even if it's just on Christmas morning, and see snow in my own yard, I'll be so happy."

As childish of a wish this might seem to most other young adults her age, Jack however, couldn't think of anything better to ask for. He stood idly beside her, watching and listening to her talk upwards to the moon he had been so familiar with speaking to without an answer himself. How was it, out of all the people in South City, he would find her? The girl who wanted snow; someone who adored what he could do and all that he was.

"I was going to give up." Jack spoke aloud and directly to her, "But for you... Yeah, I'll do it. I'm going to do everything I can to make your wish come true. Even if the entire city doesn't like it, it doesn't matter. I promise. And maybe... maybe then, you'll know I'm really here. Maybe you'll believe in me too."

. . . . . . .

"Okay, it's not my best work but it's a start." Jack said upon staring at the windshield to Elisa's car. Elegantly lining and filling the glass was a cluster of frost. The frost was so perfectly settled upon the clear surface that it mimicked a work of art on a blank canvas. Dawn was just ever so slightly sending its light over the horizon, bringing a pink and violet hue towards the windshield, causing the formation of ice crystal to glow like amethyst.

Jack hadn't rested all night long. When hopes of coming up with a plan to make it snow failed, he turned to his last resort, which was adding a little bit of ice onto cars when it was just cold enough for the morning dew to freeze. Of course he would have much rather it sleet at least, but again, this place had strange negative effects on his winter magic. Melting was a huge problem the instant he created something, so through the course of the night Jack had to find a balance he could settle on that would allow what he created to say frozen.

Now all he had to do was wait for her to come outside.

Elisa had mentioned the night prior that this would be her last day of heading out to classes before the Thanksgiving holiday, so hopefully she would be out soon. The sooner the better anyway; at this point Jack felt like he would have jumped out of his shoes from excitement if he was wearing any. He didn't know if it would be enough to make her believe in him but it was after all a start. He had to take into consideration that the people from South City made a huge deal about what little ice they saw, so naturally Elisa would appreciate this more than anyone else.

Then, the front door slammed shut.

Jack turned his head quickly, retaining a huge and giddy grin as he waited for the person who exited the house to come around the garage and towards the car. However, instead of Elisa, it was a much older man, obviously her father.

"What is this?" The man motioned his arms towards the driveway and next to Elisa's little silver car where his large white truck having been covered with frost too. The man stopped in his tracks and turned around and back into the house, leaving the door open behind him so that his voice echoed through the hall and out into the yard.

"Elisa, fill me a glass of hot water, will ya?" His voice sounded a little angry, but Jack was used to it. Getting up early in the morning and living in this heat cursed city probably was what was making this entire town grumpy.

"I guess, Dad." Elisa's voice was calm in comparison to his.

A few seconds past, then the door shut again. Walking outside was her father once more, but this time with a hot tall plastic cup of water. The heat from the liquid inside the container escaped into the air like smoke, causing Jack to frantically move out of the way as he saw the older man bring this glass over to the large truck and splash it all over his work.

"What?! Why would you do that?!" Jack dropped his staff momentarily to grab his white hair, straining it into his palms and around his fingers as the ice crystals on the white truck melted instantly upon contact with the heated water.

After this horrific display the father entered the truck and started the engine, not wasting a moment to back out of the driveway and ride off down Big Branch road. Jack was absolutely stunned and appalled, even a little bit insulted!

Jack took a breather momentarily then lowered his hands from his head, "Get it together..." He paused briefly to take a deep breath, "He doesn't matter. This is for Elisa, not him. But really, what is wrong with these people?!"

His sudden exclamation was halted once the door opened again, this time accompanied by Elisa's voice, "Bye Mom, see you this afternoon!" She said kindly. Unlike her father that had stormed away like a lunatic from having just murdered his ice, she seemed to take mornings much more politely.

"Have a good day, Sweetie! Be careful!" Her mothers voice was like the cherry on the cake; it had that touch of bitter sweetness to it from having to part with her daughter. Of course Elisa was honestly considered an adult now and she was only attending classes that would last for about six hours at most, but any parent apparently still hung onto the idea that they were only just children. Although Jack didn't have his family for long he remembered from Tooth's teeth container that his mom was pretty much the exact same way. Every time he ventured off she had a concern tone in her voice, asking him to be careful even though of course circumstances of that proportion were completely out of his hand.

Jack motioned his eyes away from the corner of the garage and then back to Elisa's car. For a good few moments he stared at his little work of art, admiring it and thinking ahead about what this girl's reaction would be upon seeing it. He wasn't expecting her to jump for joy, no, that was asking bit too much. But maybe if he had just the chance to see her smile again, that... now that would be something.

His mind wandered dreamily to things that weren't yet possible, but things that he ached for. He imagined Elisa coming around the corner and seeing the frost on her windshield and say:

"Wait a minute... this doesn't normally happen. Jack? Jack Frost is that you?"

Jack felt his heart flutter again from the thought of it. The mere idea that she could one day see him, gave even him warmth in his stomach.

A warmth though that was shot out of him way to quickly for his liking, that is.

Suddenly, his calm fantasy darted back to reality. The frost that had been sitting perfectly on the silver car's windshield suddenly began to melt. Jack rushed over towards it and eyed it closely, all the while a terrified look of impending doom becoming evident in his gaze. It was only after a few seconds did he realize what was happening. The morning dawn was getting to hot for the ice to stay on any longer. The sun was rising to quickly!

Jack's head lifted instantly towards the skies to see the sun's once violet and pink hue turn yellow as it rose from out of the clouds. Its rays, instantly like spotlight, shined down upon the windshield and zapped the frost from it like a heat gun. After this point his eyes darted from the sun and then to the windshield, over and over again, unable to act from this sudden trip in his plan. "No way!" Jack waved his staff at the windshield, freezing the water again, but this time only making it look like a bunch of slush had been thrown on the thing and had frozen to look like a bunch of glazed snot.

Then, Elisa came from around the corner. Her feet stopped when she saw the car and for a brief few seconds she stood there as if contemplating something similar like her father had done before he left. However, shrugging of this act Elisa continued into her car and started the engine, bringing the windshield wipers across the gross, not nearly half frozen slush to go plopping onto the ground.

"I don't believe this!" Jack stomped his foot on the ground, "What in the- WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?"

The chilled wind he had placed in the area ever so steadily began to grow warm. Even here, the sound of chirping birds, that much remind him of springtime, began to sing aloud and happily, completely contrasting his feelings as he watched Elisa's car start to back out of the driveway. Even towards the large pine tree, a squirrel started up and into its branches, carrying an acorn it must have achieved from across the street. The green grasses, the swaying bushes and the chatting animals would have made any other person take in a deep refreshing breath, but not Jack. If his face could turn red it would have been the color of a volcano by now.

"Would you just all shut up!" Jack yelled up at the tree, causing some of the birds to pause momentarily, though this break in song only lasting for such a brief time that Jack couldn't even take in another breath. "This is ridiculous. I am not LEAVING until I came here to do what I promised I would do." He had promised Jamie after all he'd serve up the biggest and more awesome snow storm the states had ever seen, so he wasn't about to not only let Elisa down, but the little boy up in Burgess too. Jamie was probably watching the news, right now even, waiting for any sign of Jack's handy work.

Elisa's car had finally gotten onto the road and was about to make a turn down Big Branch. Jack, with determination in his eyes, lifted his staff and summoned the wind to begin carrying him. Just at the instant Elisa's car took off down the road did Jack go flying after.

. . . . . . .

It was getting worse. By the time Elisa parked and started walking up to the large college campus it had already spiked from just about freezing and well into the upper 40's. The suns warmth in contrast to the cool breeze brought everyone who was once wearing jackets and coats to go without them. Even Elisa, who had bundled herself in a large black trench coat, thought it best to leave it in her car. It was literally a week away until December and winter wasn't even close to being in South City. Even with all Jack's effort the night before, bringing frost and snow clouds, wasn't enough until that bright sun smothered the cold like a cap on a candle flame.

Walking behind Elisa, Jack would momentarily look at the ground and mutter curses under his breath. His mind raced from one point to another, thinking about what else he could do to get Elisa to see snow, let alone to see frost long enough before it melted away. It would have to happen at the most precise moment under the perfect circumstances. But really, what were the odds of that? Elisa was constantly moving, constantly going. He didn't know what her schedule was like, or where she ate lunch or where she sat down to study. The only chance of getting her seated to watch him muster up enough power to show her his magic would be to follow her around all day. Of course, and quite honestly, he didn't mind doing that. He had nothing better to do anyway. Besides, who else was going to bring South City snowballs and fun times? He just needed a place to start, and that was right here, right now with Elisa as his first target audience.

"They're already decorating!" Elisa's voice broke the silence of the walk as the campus came into perfect view before them. Lining the bridges were Christmas lights, and on each lamp post was a wreath wrapped in red ribbon. Even though the large windows of every building on each side of the lake, a Christmas tree could be seen with its soft white light filtering through the glass windows and outward onto the water, adding to the sunlight upon the little waves to create a golden glitter as the water patted into the air.

Jack could hear Elisa take in a deep breath as she slowed down her pace, realizing that she was taking in these Christmas decorations much more intimately than anyone else currently out and about. Even from behind he knew she was smiling. Hanging around North at the pole so long gave anyone who lived there, especially Jack, a sixth sense when it came to noticing Christmas spirit. And Elisa was drenched in it.

"I need to come back out here later during my free time." Elisa mumbled to herself again, but then turned into one of the buildings. Jack had to move quickly then to keep up with her and slip through the doorway as her pace picked up. The hall was a one shot to her class then.

"Good morning." Elisa greeted her teacher who sat at her desk scuffling through graded tests. A bunch of red marks covered a majority of them, which seemed to stagger Elisa upon noticing it. "I guess... you got the tests graded." Her tone, once attempting to be polite to her professor suddenly turned meek upon the mention of getting grades back.

"Yes, they're done." The lady professor responded, briefly looking upward at her, "I'm going to pass them out once everyone arrives. After that I'm going to let out of class, since it's the last day of classes for November."

"Well, at least she's somewhat nice." Jack cringed for Elisa, who looked as if she wanted to run to the bathroom from oncoming anxiety. He could see the worry in her eyes as she settled in her chair as best as she could, although still hanging onto her purse and hugging it tightly against her chest as if it were all she had left.

A few more students walked in and took their seats, creating a shuffle as they sat down triggering the professor to sit up.

"Okay, class. I have your chapter nine tests graded. For the most part I'm proud of you, though there were a handful of people who didn't do so well." The teacher took one last look at the stack of papers in her hands before continuing, then eyeing each student as if she were a judge about to condemn them of theft, "I advise you to study over your homework prior to tests and attend the testing center if need be. Don't forget I even put up reviews before test day, so it's all on you at this point. I've done all I can to help you guys but at the time most of you are on the line of failing or are already over that line. The next test will help determine your grade for the semester."

Elisa's fingers started to tighten and loosen uncontrollably against her palms. That adoring look in her brown eyes glistening with wonder from the trees in the windows and wreaths among the lanterns melted into chaos. Even upon the teacher beginning to call out names, Elisa jumped a little, but only slightly. Although she was good at hiding her emotions Jack could easily see through it.

"Ryan, Tabitha, Jessica, Kailey..." Each name called out added an extra chill bump on Elisa's arms. As the students passed by and grabbed their tests from the rather stoic looking professor, time seemed to slow down for the poor girl. It was starting to get heavy with worry for Jack even, whose eyes that were constantly glued on the dark haired girl began to absorb and take in her feelings as if he were a sponge.

"Elisabeth..." The professor put a little emphasis when calling on the name, immediately triggering Elisa to stand up even with her purse still glued to herself like a life raft. Luckily nobody let loose a chuckle upon seeing this, due to their own attention falling onto their grades.

The walk looked long and unbearable.

"Elisabeth, I need you to see me before you leave." The teacher whispered this as quietly as she could but it was still loud enough for Jack to hear. Ever so slightly, when he looked hard enough, Jack could see Elisa's left eye start to twitch. She attempted to level her arms around her purse well enough to reach outward to grab the paper, already predetermining the horrific red marks that splattered all over the white paper like blood against snow. She didn't even look at the test right away. Keeping it tucked upside down Elisa walked back over to her seat. Only after attempting to get comfortable would see start to flip the page around. With every little section of the page that was turned both Jack and Elisa's eyes were met with those crimson marks.

"A fifty four?!" Elisa let out in a raspy whisper, her eyes wide and seemingly held a shield in between herself and the world around her. Just looking at her large brown eyes reminded Jack of a dam blocking a raging river, only this one was going to start leaking at any second.

"Oh boy..." Jack bit his lip as he watched her slowly crumble, "I didn't get to college so I can only imagine how ridiculous this all must be."

"I would like you all to look over your previous work over the Thanksgiving break." The professor stepped in to give her new orders, not allowing so much as a minute for the students to mourn, "This next test after the break is substantial to your grade. Passing it will help you immensely, but failing it will do quite the opposite. I hate to see my students fail so I want you to give it your all."

"Is she serious?" Jack's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the older woman, completely baffled she would even suggest these people study over Thanksgiving break, let alone have another test immediately after they got back. "You've got to be kidding lady. These kids don't need more deadlines, they need fun times. I swear, any more of this math they're looking at is just going to make them wet their pants."

Sure, he said they were kids. After all, Elisa couldn't have been but a few years older than he was, and likewise even perpetually being seventeen years old himself he acted a lot like a child. His job was to help people have fun, regardless their age. "Growing up sucks..." Jack mused this aloud, but in disgust, "Is this what they really expect of students? Whatever happened to getting out for Thanksgiving break and spending time with family? I guess I'm really not in the swing of whats going on anymore."

"You are all dismissed." The professor ended the little lecture quickly, causing all the students in the room to sit up all at once and start out the door. While the heard of kids made their exit, Elisa stayed seated, now allowing her fingers to flutter against one another as her eyes attempted to look away from the bright red mark of that F on her test grade.

"You made the lowest grade in the class." The professor had some sympathy in her voice but you could tell it was forced, "You've been struggling all semester, what's happening? Aren't you looking at the study sheet online? You seem to be keeping up with your homework."

"I've done everything, Ma'm." Elisa was struggling at this point to talk but she managed to keep her defense up, "I've been to the tutoring centers, I study over my review sheets, I spend every possible moment I can doing and looking over my homework."

"You have one more chance." The teacher responded; she was blunt and to the point and although trying to be supportive it just wasn't happening, "If you can at least make a seventy-five or higher you should be in the passing zone. Make an even better grade then that on the final and you'll be okay."

Elisa was silent for a brief moment as she swallowed. Even though outwardly she was quiet and poised that wasn't quite the case if you were to realize her reaction initially to receiving her test.

"Have a good Thanksgiving break, Elisabeth." The professor ended the conversation with an attempt at a pleasant farewell, but even with her wishful words for Elisa to have a 'good Thanksgiving' didn't cut it. Spending the week studying didn't sound anywhere close to being fun, or good. Even upon sitting up after watching the teacher walk back to her desk Elisa's lips began to tremble as if she wanted to break down then and there.

"Oh man, Elisa, please don't cry!" Jack felt his heart being stabbed as he watched her walk out the door, all the while holding onto her purse and tucked in test sheet tightly against her chest. Jack continued to float after her, attempting to stay at her side at all cost even as she pushed and slipped past other students who ventured down and against her path. She might have had her loving mother at home, whose pride in her daughter was enough to warm the house in itself, but here on the college campus, alone with a bad grade mark and impending boredom to come, Jack felt helpless. He wishes she could see him, and maybe then he'd be able to help her.

When Elisa slipped outside the building and back into the decorated little streets of the campus she immediately headed toward the lake benches. Her focus on sitting down was quick, and upon impact of her bottom hitting her seat facing the water she dived her hands into her purse to grab her little notebook. She was very much on the edge and ready to cry, though despite all her inner turmoil she was fiddling around desperately with her little notebook, attempting to take any and everything she was feeling and turning her mind to something else. Her eyes would glisten with held back tears, but nothing more.

"Elisa..." Jack called her name out softly and sat directly next to her on the bench, his own eyes beginning to soak in the struggle she had in hers, "It's hard right now but believe me, it'll get better. You're never alone."

Elisa, unaware of his presence, finally buried herself on a page in her notebook. Her lips began to move along with the words in silence, all the while the patting of the water against the stone before her becoming the sole sound that spread itself through the campus. Even though her eyes gazed upon her written work, Jack continued to stare at her. Jack had promised her wish would come true because she was the only one who appreciated what he did. But now, he realized bringing her what she wanted meant so much more than that. It wasn't just children that needed a guardian, it was people like her.

Jack attempted to shift his eyes that were glued onto Elisa and to the water a few feet in front of them. While the waves continued to pat Jack imagined what the lake would look like frozen over. From his image of the frozen lake he thought about the campus becoming blanketed with white, this cover of soft ice highlighting all the ground throughout South City, and most importantly, over the streets, homes and grasses of Big Branch. It was from this though, that Jack lightly flicked his staff at the water, sending a quick chill onto the waves which allowed frost to briefly spark on top of the current. However, just as quickly as they appeared, the frost melted, disappearing into the waves like shells at the sea shore.

"I don't know what's going on here, but I know I can't do this alone." Jack said aloud, giving into the notion that he could make it snow here with his own knowledge. Apparently there was more to this frost making than meets the eye. "I'll figure out a way, though. I swear to you, Elisa. It might take a while, but your snowstorm is coming, and I'll be the one leading it."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Road Blocks

Before he finally left South City, Jack had been watching over Elisa's house at the corner of Big Branch, seeing a small group of family members arrive and enter inside to celebrate Thanksgiving. The celebration, however, wasn't nearly as big as the feast itself but nonetheless it was good to see people still celebrating the holiday that tended to be looked over when compared and mashed between Halloween and Christmas. Although Elisa was a hard worker, listening to what her teacher had told her and studied as much as she could in between visiting family and eating, it wasn't quite the same. At one time she would completely shut off her computer to enjoy the company of her family though you could still tell she was nervous by the way she held herself together and spoke to her relatives.

"How is school, Elisabeth?" She would be asked, at least by each person individually when a conversation was attempted to be struck.

Every single time though, Elisa would give the same answer. "It's all right." The answer was a blunt lie, though Jack could understand her not wanting to worry the family. At least not now. The holidays were supposed to be a time to relax, but like the lack of snow these people had, it seemed they also lacked the complete ability to have fun.

Of course it wasn't Elisa's fault. Just by looking at her, past the mask of assurance she wore, Jack could see she was really bare inside. Bare like a dessert that hadn't received rain in months, let alone a break in night. Every now and again her desire peeked out, especially when it came to seeing Christmas decorations or her writing. It was like she was trapped in a cadge, only able to reach her hand outward at certain moment to feel a wave of freedom.

Work, regulations, deadlines... Sure North and the other guardians had responsibilities but at least they looked happy. At least they were doing something that made them feel worthwhile and brought hope, wonder and dreams to the world. The difference between the guardians and regular people, like Elisa, was that work and deadlines weren't always fun. It was a struggle, and that was made obvious to Jack now. That border between being a child and an adult, the line that Elisa might as well have already crossed was a rather inevitable fate for everyone. And kid or not, Jack wanted to show Elisa there was more to life than that.

Upon the immediate transition from leaving South City and crossing the border of the southernmost territory of the States Jack could feel the air change dramatically. That hot, unpleasant air that continued to stick around long after the months that marked its time, quickly changed to that of the winter air Jack had helped guide up north. It was literally like stepping from hot sand and onto cool water, or even like sticking your face from a hot garage into a giant refrigerator. It was this invisible line, a force that kept the two opposite seasons at bay, which confused the winter spirit.

Why hadn't he felt this before? Well, to be quite honest not even he knew. His time as a guardian, let alone his entire time as a winter spirit, mostly consisted of him bringing snow to his hometown of Burgess, and the territories surrounding it. He'd often visit North too, but again, that was the North Pole. The north never needed the cold but Jack always felt drawn to it because it was like that. It was like he was born to know that's where he belonged, but until now, he questioned that.

The pale headed boy had his mind set on bringing South City a snow storm, so whatever problem was preventing him from doing so wasn't enough to put a halt to his determination. Though he was admitting at this point that he needed help, and his first move would be to visit the North Pole. North always knew about anything. He was Santa Claus after all, so of course he'd have to know everything. Not to mention other than Sandy he was pretty close to MIM, so that knowledge was considerably widened because of it.

As soon as North's territory came into view at certain moments when the wind twisted Jack around just right he could smell fresh cookies. Jack always enjoyed coming up here; the usual greeting of North's elegant yet powerfully built workshop sent lights scattering onto the ice it was set upon, making the ice crystals glow in such a way that it sometimes mirrored the aura borealis that struck skyward. Even through the cold mountaintops were described by some people to be harsh, North found a way to make it better. Harsh and wondrous was North's specialty anyway, and since he was very much larger than life it was no exception that his workshop should be the same.

The wind darted, guiding Jack easily into the workshop and settling him down in an empty room. A bundle of papers and drawn blueprints went scattering about as the wind heaved, but settled the instant the wind dissipated.

"North, hey big guy, are you home?" Jack called, sending his voice out of the room and into the hallway that contained the majority of North's hard work and of course his globe. When Jack didn't receive a response he listened, past the sound of working clanks and stomps of the Yetis to hear North's jolly laughter.

"Ha, you're hilarious, Bunny!" North's voice, unlike Jack's, rolled like thunder throughout the halls and rooms of the workshop, "Let me guess, you're trying to start argument? We've put this behind us, Christmas is not Easter."

"Oh, rack off!" Bunnymunds voice was much less giddy than North's but it was still obvious it was him, "I'm just paying you an unexpected visit. Just like ya did last year when ya called me at the last minute before Easter Sunday! How do you like it when I show up and bug ya when it's so close to Christmas?"

Jack had walked out of the room at this point and looked down and below the globe, where standing before the controls was North and Bunndymund, arms crossed and stiff as bricks. By the looks of it they wanted to throw a good punch at each other, though the only difference was North carried a sarcastic smirk over his lips.

"That is no comparison." North came back, "I called everyone here then because Pitch showed up. You're just jealous, you have no good reason."

"Ha, but looky here! Let's see if you can finish wrapping millions upon trillions of presents with me stickin' around."

"Hahahahahaha!" North started laughing loudly again, so loudly that the pictures and paintings on the walls trembled, "You want to make deal? Fine, we make deal. It'll be so easy to finish all these presents you don't even know it."

"Okay, fine." Bunnymund sighed, though from his uptight stance a toothy grin arose on his expression, "If you can't finish wrapping and preparing all these presents here, with me around to distract you, then you have to admit Easter is superior than Christmas."

"And why would I do that?" North lightly stuck his nose up to try and make himself taller than he already was, "Please, like I say, there is no comparison. Easter will never be Christmas. But you know, I will take bet. Only if I am able to finish all presents, which I will, you have to admit Christmas is better than Easter."

"Oh you're on!" Bunny let loose his uptight stance and held his hands tightly together, "There's gonna be no competition here, Mate."

"Oh," North's smirk intensified as his brows rose high onto his forehead, "and when you admit Christmas is better than Easter you have to wear chicken suit."

"What?!" Bunnymund's eyes widened as his mouth hung open briefly, "Now hold up just a second, why would I wear a ridiculous chicken suit?"

"You already made bet, you can't back down now." North chuckled, "If you do, you forfeit."

Bunnymund grumbled and returned his hands around his chest and tugged himself tightly as he glared at North, completely contrasting his proud smirk, "Fine, it's on..."

"I knew you'd go for it, Easter Kangaroo." Jack finally managed to break through the conversation as he looked down at the two from the balcony he was on. Upon making himself known, North and Bunnymund stopped their bickering and looked up at Jack, only North's domineer changing for the winter spirits arrival.

"Jack, ol boy!" North greeted loudly and happily, "What are you doing here? I thought you were starting winter?"

"Well... I was." Jack lifted his hand to scratch the back of his head and looked off to the left for a moment, "I ran into some problems."

"Problem?" North raised a brow, "I see no problem? Burgess and rest of land around it has already gotten good snowfall because of you. December isn't even here and I'm already seeing Christmas spirit all over globe."

Jack sneered lightly at himself as he shifted his eyes reluctantly back towards North. It was from this simple act that North finally got the gist that something was wrong with him.

"Jack, come down and talk to us, tell us what's wrong." North became completely calm, resulting in any previous fighting to become diminished. It was after a few more delayed seconds in which Jack was able to break past his obvious shame that he dropped down the balcony and landed in front of Bunnymund and North. Their tall figures clashed with his already shorter stature, making his belittled mind set feel even more small and insignificant.

"I wanted to go all out this year..." Jack began softly, managing to break through another sigh, "So I went down to South City to try and make it snow."

From the mention of South City both Bunnymund and North glanced at each other and exchanged a mutual understanding of what was going on. Although it was to some degree of importance to them what Jack just said, they kept it to themselves.

"And what happened?" Bunnymund asked then, keeping himself poised as if what Jack just said meant nothing to him.

"I couldn't do it!" Jack's voice heightened a little as he got that statement out, "I tried again and again but it just wouldn't snow. All my hard work melted before my eyes and every snowflake ended up just turning into rain and running down drains! I don't understand what's going on. I was hoping, well, one of you would know why."

The two glanced at each other again, but this time Bunnymund gave off a shrug in North direction. From the shrug North seemed to grimace momentarily, though he fought this off as quickly as he could and returned his attention to Jack and his question.

"You see Jack," North started sincerely, "It can never snow in South City."

"What?!" Jack gasped as his blue eyes widened again with alert. From in between a few staggered breaths Jack's mind fell back onto South City. He thought about Big Branch but mostly he thought about Elisa. What North just said pelted at his heart like bullets and caused it to fall into his stomach like a rock plopping into a pond. "No, that can't be true! I'm Jack Frost! It should snow when I say it'll snow!" His tone was growing angry at this point. Jack couldn't remember being this frustrated before, not like this.

"Jack, please calm down." North reached his hand out and placed his palm on Jack's shoulder, "You have the ability to bring people snowstorms anywhere in the northern hemisphere. You shouldn't take that for granted. Millions of people appreciate all you do."

"But it's not South City!" Jack's frustration was showing even more when his eyes started to glisten with tears, though very lightly to create a sheen over his icy hued gaze.

"Jack, Jack!" North placed his other hand on Jack's opposite shoulder and turned the winter spirit towards himself as he knelt down to his level, "Why is it so important that you want to bring South City snow?"

Through Jack's frustration his eyes seemed to dart to the ground and continued to stay lowered to attempt to avoid North's concerned stare, "I just..." He swallowed nervously through his quick breathing, "There's this girl..."

"Ah, a sheila." Bunnymund grinned cockily, "I see where this is going. You wanna impress a girl."

"What?" Jack's eyes lifted immediately upon hearing Bunnyund's comment, "I never said that."

"You didn't say it but it's written all over your face. You like some girl and now you want to impress her."

"Jack, is this true?" North continued to keep a concerned and fatherly tone in his voice despite how Bunnymund quickly jumped on the wagon to teasing Jack.

Jack struggled for a moment. His frustration was melting with the idea of admitting anything. Elisa was certainly a beautiful girl and she also expressed her own desire for Jack in her own way, despite not even knowing of his existence. Jack, for a moment, had to ask himself again... why was he doing this?

First and foremost Jack knew why he started this entire ordeal. He wanted to show Jamie an awesome snow storm, one so great that it would outmatch all other snowstorms in history. He would make it a spectacle, a celebration of snowflakes and just in time for Christmas too. But when he went to South City, a world barren of this gift of a white Christmas, and saw Elisa come out of her car, after a day of struggle with no victory, just to hear her say how much she admired what he did, how much she needed him, a switch had gone off.

"Yeah." Jack finally answered, but instead of his continued feelings of anxiety and frustration escaping his answer he had calmed, "It's for a girl... it's for Elisa."

A deep, overly exaggerated chuckle escaped Bunnymund's throat, "Adorable." His statement, although heavily drenched in an attempt to joke with Jack, didn't embarrass the winter spirit one bit. "Let me guess, she can't see you."

"Bunny, would you stop?" North turned around and spoke up for Jack, realizing that although Jack and Bunny had made amends they were still relentless when it came to putting each other down with insults. Bunnymund may have had an older persona than Jack but he was still not as mature as he could be. "Listen Jack," North signed as he attempted to explain what was going on, "it is important that you give up. I know you want this girl to believe in you but you cannot make it snow in that place. Tampering with balance is a dangerous thing to do, and honestly no matter how much you try, your magic will not work there."

"But why?" Jack let out sincerely, "Why doesn't my magic work there?"

"Don't tell him, it'll only make things worse." Bunnymund's joking attitude seemed to transition again to a tone of seriousness.

"No more secrets!" Jack's voice would rise in effect to hearing Bunnymund's statement, "I have every right to know what you guys know! I'm not just some random kid anymore, I'm a guardian!"

Bunnymund looked at North briefly but then turned his head away dismissively, letting off a mild sneer after he did so. Despite the negative feelings Bunnymund possessed about telling Jack this news, North seemed to give into the notion of no longer keeping this a secret from the boy, then allowing the moment he needed to finish telling Jack what was going on.

"It's very important you do not seek this out, Jack." North said sternly, yet still managed to contain a softness in his lecture, "The world is divided by two territories, the north and south. The territories are run by two supernatural beings, much like you and I, only they are not as friendly as you may think. The north is controlled by Snow Miser, a powerful man of winter magic. The south, however, is controlled by his step-brother, Heat Miser, who likewise is powerful wielder of magic. Heat Miser creates the heat waves you felt, and it's his magic that stops snow or ice from forming correctly." North stopped briefly to absorb Jack's reaction to this, which wasn't good. Jack, although attempting to stay positive while listening to this, was breaking ever so steadily. North only continued after he realized there was no preventing Jack's disappointment. "The two brothers are at a constant battle and struggle to maintain their territories." North explained, "South City can never receive snow because Heat Miser will not allow it. The land is his and the weather is his to control."

Jack wouldn't respond, not yet. All his frustration now, was showing through his tightening grip on both his own palm and around his staff. A grimace, slowly transforming into a tight scowl, followed. "This can't be true..." Jack muttered.

"I would never lie to you, Jack." North said, "I am sorry. As a guardian it is hard to be able to spread your purpose to the world when there are road blocks like this. But you need to make due. Jamie and the children in Burgess adore you, and everyday more children are believing in you."

But it wasn't Elisa.

It was like being told you couldn't actually be what you wanted to be when you grew up. It was like being able to write a symphony, only to suddenly draw a blank on how to end it. It was like living to only have your sight taken away. Although these things were good, the fact that Jack couldn't finish what he started, made his body ache. The mere idea that he had made a promise and couldn't carry it out angered him, only leaving lingering and torturous thoughts of Elisa going through a daily routine with nothing to live for, and her most desired wish never coming true. Yes, she could go and fly up north somewhere and see the snow for herself or take a family vacation to the mountains and go skiing for a weekend, but that's not what she wanted. What was better than waking up early Christmas morning and seeing white blanket the ground and frost encase the trees of your own home? What was better than cuddling up next to the fire place, long after the turkey had been eaten and the presents unwrapped, to watch snow fall that night, when the Christmas tree would remain lit one last eve, causing the colors of the ornaments to reflect across the room and give a since of magic to the world? Nothing. No ski resort or relatives house or hotel room could make up for that comfort.

"It's best to let it go before you get your heart broken." Bunnymund spoke up then while his back was still turned, "Don't mess with the Miser Brothers. They are not a force to be reckoned with."

"But what if I can talk to them? Maybe a deal can be made..." Jack tried suggesting, "I don't know, maybe have them swap territories for a while? It couldn't be that bad."

"Something similar has been done before." North said, "And although nothing bad happened I wouldn't want to try and talk to them again. They're nothing but trouble. Please Jack, when I tell you it will be okay how things are I mean it. I can feel it... in my belly."

Jack huffed a little as he tried containing his frustration. The glistening in his eyes remained for a couple moments longer until he finally dried all the way, for the first time since he arrived being able to lift his head and look at his two fellow guardians. "All right." Jack mumbled, "I understand."

"Good, good." North patted Jack reassuringly and stood up again, "This is for best. Now, why don't you head back to Burgess and finish that snowstorm? I need it extra cold for this Christmas! Jamie is asking for new sleigh so you gotta have the right weather for it."

"Sure thing." Jack attempted to bring back joy to his tone though it wasn't happening, at least not sincerely, "I'll be going then."

"Take it easy, kid." Bunnymund added, just as Jack began to gather a gust around him to send him up and back from where he came.

. . . . . . .

"I think you need a new sled." Claude said as he keeled down next to Jamie, who was intently inspecting his sled upon taking notice the crack in the wood was getting larger.

"Yeah, it looks pretty bad. One more bad bump and it's sure to break." Caleb, Claude's twin brother added, "Maybe we should build snowmen instead."

"Aw, but I was really hoping to take it out today. I guess that incident a couple years ago caused it to start breaking." Jamie sighed as he stroked the crack next to the legs of the sled timidly as if touching a wound, "But it was worth it."

"You bet, that was awesome!" Caleb said, "I wonder when Jack's going to come back? He usually makes things more fun."

"I don't know." Jamie responded, "I saw him a few days ago but he headed to South City to make it snow. He's set on making it the best winter ever, you know."

"Really?" Claude asked, "I haven't heard about it snowing down there, let alone anywhere in the south."

"He's probably just taking his time. You know, so it'll be super good." Jamie continued to stare at the crack for a moment longer before sitting up to turn to his friends, "It's going to be the best winter ever, you'll see."

"I don't know..." Claude continued, "My mom says it never snows down there."

"That's because Jack's never gone before." Jamie said reassuringly, "He told me to keep an eye on the news and you should too. We have to cheer him on."

After Jamie's last comment the wind started to twirl, spiraling the snow from the ground and taking it upward in a dance. For a moment this confused the boys, though upon the familiar pattern of the wind and how the snow seemed to glow as it was lifted into the air made Jamie and the twins realize who it was.

"Jack Frost!" The twins gasped, even before the winter spirit appeared from the skies and landed before the boys. Once Jack's feet touched the ground though, the trio left the wrecked sleigh and arrived before Jack, keeping an awestruck stare glued onto him as he twirled his staff around, containing a rather convincing smirk across his expression.

"Hey you guys, what's up?" Jack said, "How are you enjoying yourselves?"

"Totally awesome!" Jamie beamed with a grin, "We were going to go on my sled but it doesn't look like it's gonna hold up for much longer. So we figured we'd build a snowman."

"Oh, did you ask North for a new one?" Jack asked, knowing already Jamie was going to get one.

"Sort of, I guess I will now."

"North always has a way of knowing what you want before you do." Jack hinted as his brow rose, "Now then, how about that snowman? You try and throw as many snowballs at it to knock it apart, and I'll control it."

"What do you mean?" Jamie said.

"Don't tell me you've never seen Frosty the Snowman? Only of course this one isn't about to sing you guys some crummy song." Jack stopped twirling his staff and aimed it to his left, causing the snow at the ground to twirl again and rise, forming and constructing it into a tall snowman. However, before the boys could even comment about it's rather intimidating structure it started walking towards them, letting loose faked grumbles and gargles from Jack manipulating the ice within it.

"Ahhh! Run for it!" Claude cried as he grabbed his brother's hand and started going around the snowman, and then gathered up some snowballs. Jamie took a moment to react but upon the realization that the snowman was more fun looking than scary he stood his ground, gathering snowballs of his own and built a pile of them to match that of the twins.

"Start throwing, you guys!" Jamie hollered, and without prior warning the boys started throwing balls of snow faster than a baseball player.

"You're overwhelming it, oh no!" Jack played along as he watched the snowballs pile up on the snowman he had created, causing it to slunk and then after a while ultimately fall over. Only after the snowman fell over did Jack release the magic, and listen to the boys start cheering and jumping into the air.

"Do it again!" Jamie exclaimed, "That was too easy, make the next one as big as my house!"

"Hold your horses, Jamie!" Jack chuckled, "If someone saw a snowman that big people would freak out."

"Ah, people freak out way to easily." Jamie waved his hands dismissively, "Your holding back, Jack!"

"Yeah..." Claude added, "You must be holding back. Jamie said you'd make it snow in South City."

Upon the mention of South City Jack cringed inside, "I'm... well." His attempts at being happy for the boys diminished like water draining from a sink.

"Claude, Caleb! Come back inside, I'm about to serve the apple cobbler!" The sound of their mothers voice called from down the street, triggering the twins to drop what bundles of snow that still remained in their palms and for them to go running.

"See you later, Jamie!" Caleb cried, just before they disappeared behind the fence to the street.

"See ya later, guys!" Jamie waved back while attempting to make his voice louder to reach the two but by then they were out of sight. It was only after the yard grew quiet again, when the sound of faint whistles flowing between the cracks in the bricks and angles of the rooftops, did Jamie turn around to face Jack again. "What's wrong?" Jamie's brown eyes looked up sympathetically at him, "A second ago you had a big smile on your face and now you seem kinda down."

"Heh, don't worry about it." Jack claimed, "It's fine."

"No it isn't." Jamie wrapped his arms around himself as his breath escaped heavily from his mouth like a volcano, "Tell me what's going on."

"I'm just having a hard time is all..." Jack's eyes shifted around again.

"It's about making it snow in South City, isn't it? I saw you got worried when Claude brought it up."

"No! What makes you say that?"

"By how your acting, obviously."

Jamie was right. There was no hiding it. Jack's desire to make it snow in South City was obsessing him, not to mention now that he knew why he couldn't do anything about it. Even with all his control over his emotions and how hard he was trying to listen to North's suggestion by finding comfort bringing Burgess and the northern territories flurries, wasn't enough. He adored Jamie and the kids here, though there was something different about the idea of bringing a new place laughter and fun. It was a heavy longing to make it snow for people in the south, but he just couldn't do it. He felt like a failure and a liar.

"You're Jack Frost, I know you can do it." Jamie's little voice was like sun rays that filtered through a dark cave, "Whatever is troubling you... whatever is making this hard, I know you can find a way around it."

"Pfft, there is no way around it." Jack scoffed. It was only after letting out this slightly sarcastic remark did his eyes widen and his brows rise. Going around things was what Jack had always done, at least before he was made a guardian. It was in his nature to be a little trickster, and a sly one at that. Perhaps there was a way to go around this. Maybe there was a way to make a deal with these Miser brothers to allow it to get cold enough to snow in South City. After all, North said it had been done before without consequence so there was surely no pain in doing it again. As horrible as North made these guys sound they couldn't be that bad.

"You know what, Jamie?" Jack's expression relaxed, then from after this realization as smirk began to crawl over his lips, "Maybe there is a way around all this nonsense. Like I said, it's going to be the coolest winter ever."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Deal

Jack had been on this earth for over three hundred years and yet he had never once heard about the Miser Brothers. Yes, of course he heard about Mother Nature and all the wonders that she possessed but there was never a mention of other supernatural beings that could manipulate the natural world.

Jack was taking a leap of faith here. Now that he knew of their existence he still had to find out where they lived. Even among centuries of roaming he had never come across anything that would have looked like a home that would house beings of their magnitude. North's workshop, Bunnymund's warren, Tooth's palace and even Pitch's lair were only four that he could recall vividly, though once he heard rumors of where those places were located it wouldn't take long to get there, and even learn to return to when he wanted. But rumors of these guys? Never. It was like they were the people nobody talked about in group settings, or part of those history books that were never gone over. North had apparently been reluctant to tell Jack about their existence perhaps because they weren't what you would call, "normal" yet neither was he at one point. Jack remembered quite well that the guardians rarely, if ever, paid much attention to him until he became a guardian. Although North and the gang were considered a rather "elite" group it still made Jack wonder why they tended to exclude others. But then again, he couldn't question their ways that much. Man in Moon was very wise, and Sandy had shown him only the wisest and most special of those could be accepted and titled a true guardian.

But even if the Miser Brothers had nothing worthy about them, Jack wasn't about to let this opportunity to speak to them pass by. There were only a few more days left until December, and whether they acted like pathetic babies or a bunch of scheming old men he was still going to see them, one way or another. Besides, he could take care of himself. As cringe worthy as North made these guys sound, if there was one kind of person Jack was able to understand, it was outcasts and tricksters. After all he was one not too long ago; he knew the kind of life that led.

The cold air of the northern hemisphere was still relentless as Jack traveled. Even as he flew among the borders of the pole Jack could feel the cold air bite him like a bunch bee stings, although this feeling was not of concern to him, more rather he enjoyed it above anything else. Even among the chilled air, the snow that would have usually fallen to the ground at this point was still twirling and hovering among the clouds with him. At certain points Jack was unable to see past this compacted white dust spinning all around him, though when it got too bad he would simply part the air to give way to a path in which the wind would carry him further. Sometimes he wondered if he could ask one of the guardians, maybe, where these Miser Brothers lived, but upon immediately remembering and realizing how reluctant they were to even tell him about their existence made him have second thoughts. He had to strive forward and do this on his own.

"Where would I live if I wanted to stay out of sight?" Jack mumbled to himself as his mind wandered off to different ideas. It was one thing hiding from humans; that was easy. The guardians had remained stationary in their homes for a long time, and humans hadn't discovered them yet, however it was easy for him to run across them too. Perhaps these guys weren't in a singular place, more rather like he did, were constantly moving. But if that was the case, how on earth would he find them?

Jack was getting frustrated again, though he wouldn't let this frustration erupt. The white haired boy was used to struggle and not getting exactly what he wanted when he wanted it. Persistence and determination had become one of his most powerful traits, just after fun itself, so even here and now he wasn't going to let his hopes dwindle. He had a lead now, and that was all that mattered.

Even past the twirling white wind and dancing snowflakes Jack knew he was onto something. It was that feeling that although you had no idea where you were going initially, you could get past it regardless. It was a confident feeling, and from this Jack was sure he would run across this place sooner or later. Even if he had no idea what it was he would have to know when he found it; something as strange and new as this had to be obvious.

And by the Man in the Moon was it obvious.

As the air swept and continued carrying white dust around him Jack could see something. Out beyond and half way submerged into the clouds, sticking up from among the icy ocean and into the sky was an ice castle. The sight seemed so unreal at first Jack had to blink a couple times. From where he was the castle looked like it was neither built upon the ocean or sky born, and its appearance from out of nowhere, and easily for that matter, was even more of a shock.

"An ice castle?" Jack chuckled to himself, "Why didn't I think of that?" He seemed to sneer directly after his comment, realizing that although he could make crummy looking snowmen and paintings of frost on car windshields he didn't think he could make a castle of those proportions, at least to where it looked perfect like the one he was looking at. It's a possibility he could if he tried, though since he never considered it before the idea seemed like such a feat compared to what he was used to. Snow Miser apparently was talented in winter magic much like Jack was, though Jack couldn't help but wonder why, even with all that power, he still couldn't push those cold waves enough to reach South City. He was going to know now at least.

"Well, there's no turning back." Jack took a deep breath as the wind continued to carry him towards the castles entrance, "I just gotta tell him straight forward what's up, not a big deal."

As he grew closer to the castle and then ultimately landed before the large entryway it was dawning on Jack just how cold this place was, and it seemed to be radiating with power. With this guys help, it would be no problem at all making it snow wherever he wanted. It was like finding a diamond in the ruff, and for the first time since he set off to find this guy Jack had never been so happy. North had to have been wrong about this guy, after all, with his abilities and Jack's own combined white Christmases from the past would pale in comparison to the fun he would unleash onto the world this season.

As if Jack's appearance had been foreseen, a large drawbridge opened, revealing the entrance to the castle itself. Upon the newly opened doorway he could hear chimes and hums of song, a rather warm and laid back feeling compared to what he had anticipated. Even as he ventured into the castle that welcoming feeling of a good host was drenched in the place; it almost was like the castle was not only made of the ice that Snow Miser created but he had put a little bit of himself in it as well.

"I could live in a place like this." Jack smiled, allowing himself to draw his eyes from the direct path before him and to the walls and ceiling, taking in every structure and every formation of ice that constructed the building. His reflection, although distorted among the ice crystals, were still crisp and vibrant with color. Despite even the clouds from the snowstorm outside the ice here seemed to soak in what sun it could, spreading reflection upon reflection and sometimes, upon the right location, showcasing the floors below and to his sides, revealing the sky among him and the ocean below much like windows that peered out and beyond.

"Welcome, welcome!" A loud and rather jolly voice exclaimed, drawing Jack from his stare at admiration of the castle and to the space in front of him. He hadn't realized he had made it to a throne room, where among many rather complicated looking devices was Snow Miser.

"Oh, hey!" Jack, although trying to come back just as casually, was caught off guard. Even if Snow Miser had greeted him more calmly, Jack would have still been taken aback by his appearance. He wasn't exactly scary, but he wasn't really what you would call welcoming either. Snow Miser was extremely tall, even surpassing North in height and seemed larger in an aspect of proportion as well. He was thin, and his skin was a chilled blue; even taking the entire master of winter to another level his hair was literally ice itself, and upon his long nose was more ice that fell from his nostrils. If there was a walking pun of a "chill dude" Snow Miser was it.

"I've been expecting you, Jack Frost." Snow Miser continued, "Glad you made it."

"Yeah..." Jack responded, "It feels like I made it a little too easy. How did you know I was coming?"

"A little snowflake told me you wanted to speak with me." Snow said, "So, speak up boy don't be afraid to tell me what the matter is. After all, this is quite an honor to meet Jack Frost himself. You've done the whole snow and frost making duties wonders and by all honesty it's your tweaks that have helped me make these past snowstorms within the last three hundred years so much better."

"Wait- really?" Jack rose a brow and smiled upon Snow's flattery, "I try, at least."

"Remember that blizzard on Easter Sunday? 1968? Brilliant, and hilarious might I add. Everyone from the Easter Bunny and the people thought snow was going to thaw that day, but boy where they wrong."

"Heh, yeah..." Jack retained his grin, all the while growing more comfortable with Snow Miser's blunt kindness, "I couldn't help it, winter doesn't last too long so I figured it needed one last extra push."

"You're darn right they needed it!" Snow laughed, "By that time I usually have to heed to warmer weather, though I don't think there is anything wrong with a longer winter. If I could have it my way it would be winter all year long. I would never want to know a day that's over forty degrees."

"Yeah, that would be nice." Jack's voice drifted off, again taken aback by this stranger's ability to take a first meeting and make it seem like they knew each other for years. This guy's charisma and welcoming attitude wasn't something Jack was used too, at least not upon immediately meeting someone. North was like that to an extent when he first met him but Snow was on a different level than that. The mere presence of Snow Miser was like spotlight itself and because of that Jack was beginning to feel out of place, though he wouldn't let these feelings run him off just yet.

"Okay, okay..." Snow cleared his throat after he finished his laugh, taking a turn from his standing position and walking up towards his throne chair, where he sat down confidently and positioned himself to comfort before continuing, "Now come on in here and tell me what you want from me. _I-cy_ you have many questions. Ha!" His pun almost steered him back into laughter but he managed to control himself.

Slowly, Jack listened to Snow and walked further into the throne room. Upon his closer inspection of the place he saw a handful of miniature selves of Snow Miser, who acted like little henchmen as they ran around and tidied up the place as they could. Jack only looked away from them once he made it before Snow Miser and the throne chair, lowering his head slightly at first as he attempted to gather his thoughts. It only took a moment or two to finally come out with his question.

"I was wondering, if you could possibly help me?" As Jack talked his confidence was rising with thoughts of Elisa and South City. He wanted so desperately for her wish to come true that it had become his own, "I was wondering if you could allow it to snow somewhere."

"Well sure! Where do you want it?" Snow responded. Upon his loud queue a couple of his henchmen rushed over to the rightmost side of the throne chair and up against the wall, where a funny looking contraption began to light up upon Snow's voice. It looked like this device was a large channel for Snow Miser's power, much like Jack's staff only on a larger level to spread his magic over the entire north at once. This was made obvious to Jack due to the presence it had; missing it in a room would have been impossible. Along with being large it looked very complex. Sitting among its metal and inside were a bunch of cranks and mechanisms that seemed to breathe as if it were alive. Even standing from a distance and looking at it Jack could feel the potential in the devise. If the simple awareness of Snow Miser's voice talking about it was enough to start it up somewhat, Jack couldn't wait to see how it unleashed winter magic throughout the globe at full force.

"South City." Jack answered with continued sureness, "I need you to make it cold enough so it can snow in South City."

"_WHAT_?!" Snow Miser's response spilled out of him like a hundred screeching cats; even his eyes twirled momentarily from shock upon the mention of South City, "Hold it! _Hold it! _That's a nooooo can do, Frosty. If you don't already know, the southern territories are under the control of my step-brother Heat Miser."

Jack looked up at Snow with wide eyes and a fallen jaw. The blunt and absolute "no" answer he was given might as well have been a punch in the stomach at this point. By all honesty this shocked Jack more than all the bad news from the last few days combined. The one being that could help make Elisa's wish come true, just straight up told him no.

"Look!" Jack huffed, "It's obvious you have the ability to make it snow wherever you want. I mean, just look at this place! And you said it yourself, you want to see a good winter too, right? Just- work with me here!" Frustration was falling out of Jack at this point. There was no controlling it now; all his bunt up frustration was flying out of his mouth and Snow was that last straw that seemed to take the hit.

"Whoa, slow down, Frosty!" Snow said as he lifted his hands in the air as if surrendering, "I'm just telling you the complexity of what you just asked me. Going against my brother in an outright attack on his territory would cause balance to go out of whack. I can't do that alone."

"Then let me help you!" Jack insisted loudly, "Maybe there is something I can do to talk with your brother? Anything!"

"Keep your snow compacted, Frosty, sheesh." Snow responded, "Why would you want it to snow _there_ anyway? You've done a great job helping me in my territories as it is."

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?!" Jack spewed. He felt like he wanted to thrash his arms around at this point.

"Well last time someone asked me for this they were more chill about it." A smile came and went from Snow's expression as he spoke, "You seem almost angry. That's not very, you know, chill of you considering you're Jack Frost."

"I promised a girl that I'd make it snow for her." Jack's answer was serious and blunt but this only caused Snow Miser to fall back and heave with an uproar of laughter. For a long time neither one could speak; Jack for one because he was dumbfounded by Snow Miser's reaction and Snow only because he couldn't talk from laughing so hard.

"You're telling me you're doing this to impress a girl? Hahahaha!" He stopped to laugh again, throwing his head back and pounding his right fist on the arm of his chair. After a deep breath and a sniffle he sat up from his throne and started walking down towards the winter spirit, twiddling with his hands rather excitedly as he did so, "A forbidden love, would you look at this story unfolding. And a girl from South City too. What does she look like, how old is she?"

"What's it to you?" Jack sneered.

"Oh come on, I just wanna know the juicy stuff. After all if I'm going to help you I wanna know all the details."

"Wait- you'll help me?" Jack's irritation dissipated the moment Snow said that. Hope was now filtering through this once hopeless situation.

"Yeah, yeah I'll help ya, Frosty." Snow responded as he waved his hand dismissively at him, "Now go on, I'm serious!"

"Well.." Jack had to step back and prepare himself. Snow's sudden interest in what was going on was a huge transition from before. While everyone else either didn't know what Jack was feeling or pushed it aside as if kicking something under a rug, Snow was genuinely willing to hear Jack's thoughts. "Her name is Elisa." A smile snuck itself around Jack's lips as he set his head lightly on the side of his staff, "She's got this long brown hair and brown eyes that glisten as she stands under Christmas lights. She's kind and wise... so much for her age. She's a college student but I think her work and struggles are getting in the way of her having fun-"

"Hold up!" Snow Miser cut him off, and jumped down the last step to land right in front of Jack, "You're telling me she's in college? Isn't she a little old for you?"

"What do you mean?" Jack was ripped from his description of Elisa too soon so that caused his voice to crack.

"You're perpetually seventeen years old. Clearly she's too old for you." Attempting to be casual Snow lifted his hands upward and outward to inspect his nails, though this attempt to be poise was shattered as he chuckled and grinned toothily, "She needs a _man_, don't you think?"

"Would you quit it!" Jack was flustered at this point, "I may look seventeen but I've been around for a long time. _Three hundred years_ to be exact. Don't talk to me about her being too _old_ for me. Besides she's only nineteen, twenty tops."

"Sure, sure..." Snow continued to chuckle to himself even after his hand lowered and was brought to Jack's shoulder, where he then shook him lightly and continued smiling. Snow's extremely tall stature made Jack look insignificant compared to him, so this light shake might as well have been a tremor in Jack's respect, "Ooo, Elisa is a pretty name. I'm guessing that's short of Elisabeth or something? And she's from the south and _wants_ snow? You gotta introduce me to this dame sometime. Okay! Yeah, I'll help you Jack, but there is something I need for you to do first."

"What do you want me to do?" Jack said, blinking up at Snow Miser as if preparing for another shake.

"Well, like I said, my step-brother is going to be a huge factor in this. Outright sending a cold front down to South City with a blind eye will result in nothing but chaos. I also don't want to try and compromise with the Fire Ape, because last time that happened we had to get _Mother_ involved." Snow's teeth clenched together as he cringed, though quickly came back to his trail of thought, "Heat Miser won't see you coming, so I need you to find his lair and destroy his machine that conducts his power, or at least break it enough to where it stops working for a while. It looks much like my machine over there. It's the device that channels our energy and casts it out into the world. Without that device Heat Miser's abilities will be limited, much like yours."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Jack barked.

"I'm just jesting with you, Frosty, chill out. Now do we have a deal? You gotta do what I ask and I'll make it snow for you. It'll be a piece of ice cream cake."

"All right, let's do this." Jack nodded. He could feel hope rising in himself again like a symphony crescendo. The path of disappointment he had been walking for what is seemed like the longest time was finally breaking, and the horizon was just now peering from behind that dark canvas of shades. This was it, this was finally happening. Jack felt his confidence return as his head rose up high; even the blue hue in his iris started to mimic the glow of the ice castle around him as he stepped forward, ready to take on whatever might be thrown at him. "This Heat Miser..." Jack began, "Where do I find his lair?"

. . . . . . .

Of all places it had to be a _volcano_.

Jack had known prior that Heat Miser would live in a sort of territory that would match his name, much like Snow Miser lived in an ice castle. But when Snow mentioned his step-brother lived in the southern territories, in a mountain on the ocean for some reason the idea of a volcano didn't slip past him. A mountain in the ocean simply brought to mind an island, and like Snow was living the good life in a castle, Jack seemed to believe initially that Heat Miser settled himself in tropical paradise with sand and sun and heck, flamin' hot Cheetos. But an _active_ volcano? If Jack thought that Snow Miser was a little off then surely Heat Miser was the persona of crazy.

Jack was starting to feel something very black and white from these two. Snow Miser brought fun white Christmases while Heat Miser only brought sweat drenched misery. Jack had seen it for himself, so he knew that along with the physical heat people always seemed a little more down. Elisa even, portrayed herself as worn out. In South City, along with the heat that withered plants, hard work and deadlines seemed to follow. South City wasn't a tropical paradise, no. If it wasn't so green the place might as well be a dessert. Right before Thanksgiving it was well in the upper eighties there; Jack couldn't imagine what summers there would be like in comparison. He recalled watching TV with Jamie one time and saw a commercial about a car in a parking lot on a Texas summers day. If the people making that commercial had to use Texas as an example then of course it was bad.

The closer Jack got to Heat Miser's lair the more anxious he got. That dramatic transition to crisp winter air to the possible equivalent of hell was dreadful. For a moment Jack worried that he might not be able to use his magic here at all, though Snow had heavily insisted that this device could be tampered with enough to put a halt to its power. By now, all Jack would have to do is break past this dreaded heat and make it inside, find the machine, stop it and get out. The winter spirit only hoped that Heat Miser wouldn't catch him before he could do any of that.

Very much like arriving in the ice castle before, the sound of hums and chimes could be heard slipping past the cracks in the rock. The only difference was this music was deeper, and very much in full swing unlike his step-brother beforehand. Jack had to take a moment to breathe before he ventured into the volcano itself. It was fairly hard to breathe here, not just of course from the smoke that emerged from inside the earthly structure but because once you stepped foot past the stone and into the halls constructed within the volcano itself the air became thick and unbearable. It was so nerve-wracking that Jack had to come in and out of the entrance a few times to prepare himself; he was so used to the cold from the north pole or Burgess that this kind of heat was exhausting.

"I know South City isn't nearly this bad but, geez." Jack scoffed, "This feels horrific."

Jack managed to take a brave leap and stay in the entryway this time. Jack had to act fast, so before he gave the chance for anyone (or anything) to see him he darted through the hallways. Although this place was difficult to stay in Jack wasn't losing his ability to stay hidden and sneak around. Countless times he had done the same thing while trying to get into North's workshop, so even on his first try he got pretty close before one of the Yetis kicked him out. However, he didn't know how bright Heat Miser's minions were, so he wasn't taking any chances, and for that matter, wasn't going to joke around with this. For once fun and games were finished.

The music seemed to get louder with every step Jack took. The throne room was coming up quick based on the structure of the hallways, and the booming melody seemed to confirm that.

"_Whatever I touch, starts to melt in my clutch_!" A harsh singing voice accompanied the bizarre yet catchy melody, though the words came out a little devilishly, as if that idea amused whoever sung it. From that Jack got nervous. It had to be Heat Miser himself. With the power of that machine directing his heat and fire magic, Jack wouldn't stand a chance. He would be like all those snowflakes he had created, only to melt and plummet into the drains of South City. This heat magic was powerful, and now that he was in the very bowels of enemy territory, Jack wasn't sure he could do it.

"I couldn't even keep frost on a car windshield long enough before the sun started to melt it." Jack muttered to himself as he clutched his staff, keeping it steadily pointed in front of him as if he were hanging onto his life, "How am I supposed to go against Heat Miser? No! I won't have too. I need to sneak past him while he's singing."

Sneaking past him was one idea, yes. But those odds were pretty much fifty-fifty. Either he sneaked past Heat Miser and took care of that machine or he'd be caught. There were no other choices. He'd have to flip the coin right here and now while Heat Miser was occupied or he'd not have another chance at it.

"All right... in 3...2...1..." Jack counted steadily and then peaked his head around the corner. Sure enough, just like he thought, he had arrived at the throne room. Heat Miser, was indeed here.

Although Heat Miser was just as worrisome looking as Snow Miser was, this guy seemed to carry himself completely opposite. While Snow Miser was tall and thin, Heat Miser was shorter and wider though this base of height still significant when it came to terms of how big these guys really were. His resting face looked like a scowl, and his hair was a flame with the same crimson shades as the volcanoes lava, while mashed up against his yellow skin was a round red nose. By looking at him it was a bafflement how these two could be related in any form or fashion.

Heat Miser had very much the same kind of minions; they were miniature versions of himself, only instead of working they were dancing to his singing. All around and lining the room were bright flames, which seemed to make cackling noises as the lava from far below smacked the sides of the rocks, sending their flairs upward and showcasing them like an aquarium would showcase fish. Even with this extra heat, Jack managed to push past it. From Heat Miser and his minions distraction Jack began to act, and head straight for the machine that sat, likewise as his brother, at a distance behind the throne chair.

"_I'd rather have it eighty, ninety, one-hundred degrees_!" Heat Miser's song was still very much in full swing, and so far he or any of the minions didn't seem to notice Jack heading towards the machine.

The closer Jack got to the thing, the more he could feel just how powerful it really was. All that heat and magic that spread throughout the southern hemisphere; the very power that kept his powers at bay and forbid him to bring not even a pinch of frost to South City was here. This was personal now. Jack felt his eyes narrow as he looked at the strange device, focusing with all his might on how exactly he was going to take it out. Although it was indeed the origin to the heat magic that dispersed into the world, he knew it was just as much as a weakness as it was Heat Miser's power. Like his own staff, it could be broken. In itself, it was only a channel, not the actual source of power itself.

"All right..." Jack took a deep breath before he made the last vital step to come face to face and in perfect position to stop the machine, "This is it. There's no turning back now." Aiming his staff at the machine, he unleashed a wave of frost magic at the core of the conduit, causing a sudden wave of ice to overtake it from the inside out, like thousands of rushing ants stampeding out a hole. Once the ice flowed its way through the heart of the machine itself a heave seemed to overtake the volcano, and a gasp followed the flickers of the flames within it. The machine, once glowing red like a hunk of coal, was now rigid and blue, covered in Jack's ice magic as if it had been overtaken and contained. From the change in the volcano itself and the sudden stall of the machine, the music and Heat Miser's singing stopped abruptly.

"Wha- WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Heat gasped once he realized what had happened and that he was not alone. Like his singing voice Heat Miser was very much angry sounding, though now because he had a reason to be be angry this tone escalated ten times fold. The fire that made up his hair hiccupped harshly and then glowed brighter; even his full round face grew a deeper shade of red as his fists bundled up tightly and let out a scream, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?"

"Take it easy," Jack said casually; a bit too calmly for the situation and let lose a smirk, "Obviously you need some time to cool off."

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S COMING TO YOU, KID!" Heat was about to burst from rage at this point like a soda bottle that had been shaken for too long.

"Oh, I know what's coming to me." Jack responded sarcastically, "But seriously, you need to chill out." Snow Miser's jokes had rubbed off on him. Even after he said that Heat Miser continued to boil, giving Jack the heads up that at this point there was no talking to him whatsoever.

"YOU'RE NOT LEAVING THIS PLACE!" Heat's voice was like an explosion after another. In an instant Heat would then swipe his hands to the side and send a wave of flames towards Jack's direction, though staying accurate to both Snow's and his own predictions, Heat Miser's power had lowered to that of Jack's own; there was no worldwide control in his possession anymore. Without a channel for his power, his control on the south had been lost.

Jack jumped up into the air, missing the line of fire by a hair, and then fell back to the floor though all the while keeping his balance and poise very much proudly. "I'll be taking my leave." Jack said then as he lightly waved at the big guy. He had to struggle to keep from laughing, so with every other second his teeth would part from under his grin and bite his lips. Unable to hide his laughter much longer Jack gathered himself and summoned the wind to carry him. Like a leaf he was picked up and taken back the way he came, disappearing into the halls and out of the volcano all the while hearing Heat Miser spit a series of anger consumed profanities. Even the volcano itself, as Jack made distance, huffed with black smoke.


End file.
